CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians today announced the club has placed RHP JAKE WESTBROOK on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Sunday, April 20th with a left intercostal strain. To replace Westbrook's spot on the Major League roster the Indians recalled OF BEN FRANCISCO from AAA Buffalo.

That's too bad. He was off to a pretty solid start & the run support was to come hopefully.

Miller, considered to be the top Indians pitching prospect, will start Wednesday night for Class AAA Buffalo against Scranton, Pa. Miller's stay in Winter Haven, Fla., began in mid-February when he reported with the rest of the Tribe's pitchers for big-league camp. http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/plaindea ... xml&coll=2

well i think the biggest reason, is that Laffey/Sowers/Cliff Lee were competing for the 5th starter spot in the spring, and as you well know now with his .40 ERA, 10:1 K/BB, 3-0 record, Lee won that job.

Miller has had blister problems, and if i recall correctly, last season a problem with a tendon in a finger on his throwing hand. He is without a doubt the most talented pitcher we have in the farm system. But the only thing I've heard considered with him in 2008, is the possibility of getting a bullpen job late in the season. That they'd like to get him a season w/o more injuries before asking him to start. And I have a feeling that this has a lot to do with CC potentially leaving in the offseason.

I don't know how either Sowers or Laffey are doing in AAA. Sunday I think, during the indians broadcast, they mentioned Laffey got the W with Barfield going like 3-5 with 2HR.

Ben Francisco did win a AAA batting title in either 2006 or 2007, hitting somewhere around .360. Memory is foggy on the average, but he can sure rake in the offensive cats, and lets be honest, Delucci and Jason Michaels combined make one decent outfielder. Someone needs to tell Wedge that platooning the two, doesnt equate to combining their abilities.

Wow, our league counts ground outs as a stat (therefore adding value to a sinkerballer like Westbrook) but just last week I traded him and Todd Jones for Rickie Weeks & George Sherrill. I'm a freakin genius. I do feel bad though....I like the guy I traded with but he was the one who picked Westbrook. I was trying to hold on to him. Meh, hope he heals up soon.

doesn't sound too serious based on the talk on radio/tv here in cleveland. But I believe he missed a month last year with an abdominal strain. Can't say how similar the two would be as far as a pitcher goes. But again, it's his left side. It could be worse.

The Ben Francisco call-up is interesting -- looks like they'll give him the remainder of the week to beat out Michaels, then likely send Michaels down after Friday's game, as they'll need to call up a SP for the Yankees. Otherwise it'd be CC on 3 days' rest...

Laffey and Sowers have each given up 8 runs on 22 and 23 inn pitched respectively at AAA. Miller is - again - on the 7-day DL. Looking at a toss-up btwn Sowers and Laffey for NYY on Sat.

That's how I see it, then I'm no expert on calling up and sending down

I'd guess Laffey will take Westbrooks start this week. Sowers pitched last night. If they bump Byrd and Lee up a start, they could squeeze Sowers in there, but I doubt they think that's necessary.

Wedge said they expect Westbrook to miss "a couple of starts" and that they'll have to see from there. Really no good info from today's pregame presser.

I don't think Francisco is getting called up for 5 days to beat out Michaels. I have to believe they'll keep him up for a while before sending him back down if necessary. Got to believe that Michaels is headed down tho at the end of the week. Mastny's not going back with Borowski sitting on the DL, Marte's out of options.